Really New Newbies

[Charlie & Lucy]

Hi all,
We are in the process of reviewing our options on purchasing an Escape 5.0 TA.
We would love to hear from other owners on how their experiences have been as new owners, as this is a whole new experience for us (never having had a camper before).
We live in New Hampshire and are looking at a build completion date of October 13, 2015. We are anticipating driving our Tacoma out to WA and picking it up and spending time traveling around the area and then heading the southern route back to NH.
Any thoughts and ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much!
Charlie & Lucy

[soultrek]

Hi New Hampshire. Thoughts: I had some fun times skiing Mt Sunapee and socializing Colby (Junior-back then) while at Dartmouth in the 1960 timeframe. Ideas: We sure have enjoyed our smaller Escape for the last few years. And Idaho has some great scenic stops if you plan on passing this way…Glenn.

[KarenH]

Welcome, Charlie and Lucy! With an October build date, you'll have lots of time to peruse this forum for ideas and opinions. I know that I, as well as most others, spent hours going over each and every option to consider what was important or not important to me. What really matters, of course, is your own camping lifestyle so put a great deal of thought into how you plan to spend your time while camping. Don't get caught up in the options race thinking that you have to have every one as not all of them may suit your camping style. Even a standard Escape model would satisfy most any need...most of the options are just icing on the cake!

[rbryan4]

Welcome to you Charlie and Lucy. You're in the right place. Congrats on your decision. Fun times ahead!

It may be impractical being in New Hampshire, but if you can swing it, I highly recommend a trip to ETI before your build sheet is due, or to a rally where you can see different Escape models in person. It makes it much easier to decide and get it right.

[Loren & Cathy]

On this forum, Donna D could probably tell you about the 5.0 TA as much as anyone. Loren

[padlin]

Hi Charley and Lucy, what kind of info are you looking for?

I'm taking it your Taco has a fairly heavy payload, the 5.0's pin goes 600-700 lbs, plus roughly another 100 for the hitch and mounts.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Loren & Cathy

On this forum, Donna D could probably tell you about the 5.0 TA as much as anyone. Loren

I heard my name! The best opinion I can offer is to not think about your PAST (okay, so you've never had a trailer), but think about your FUTURE. What do you EXPECT your camping style will be? Are you hoping to boondock (National Parks) or be hooked up? Honestly, anything that should happen during the build... wire under the headliner! You should consider. There's lots of stuff that can be added at a later date depending on your budget and/or skill set. For instance, I didn't get fancy wheels (later) nor an air conditioner (won't need it for several years, warranty only lasts so long... but it's wired!) same with solar. But, that's ME... YMMV

[Charlie & Lucy]

Hi soultrek,
Thanks for responding! We live right near Colby Sawyer and ski at Mt Sunapee! We are planning on heading cross country in late August and when we plan our route will get in touch with you to get your take on scenic areas!
Thanks.
Charlie & Lucy

[Charlie & Lucy]

Hi again!
Since we posted our original post we received a change in completion date and it is now Sept 4th. A full month earlier. We are excited to say the least!
Thank you all for responding to our post! Everyone here is so nice and we appreciate everything that everyone says. It's not easy to plan something that you know nothing about, sight unseen. But this is something that we have wanted to do and retirement planning is truly exciting!
Karen H, we don't have a camping style but know we wanted as much comfort as possible in a small package. We have a 2013 Tacoma double cab, short bed with existing tow package - so it has a lot of things you need to tow except the 5th wheel hitch. Our thoughts primarily are to see the beautiful US that we live in, visit our friends and relatives all over the country and do it on our time frame. We are in no rush to get it done it a short period. We will have plenty of quality time on the road.
rbryan4, thanks for your comments, but you are right, living in NH it would be kind of impractical to go to ETI or a rally before hand, but we will try to contact others thru the forum that we might see their Escape and talk shop.
Loren & Cathy, thanks for the heads up with Donna D! She heard you too! Thanks Donna D! Love your sense of reality and humor! Yes, we don't have a past, but certainly are looking forward to our future!
Hi padlin, I think you live in our neck of the woods so to speak - on the east coast anyway. If you don't mind we'd love to connect with you.
Well, that's it for now. See you all on the forum threads, and look forward to chatting some more. I know we will have loads of questions in the near term... and hopefully meeting some of you along our travels.
Charlie & Lucy

[padlin]

Dropped you a pm with contact info.

[EDarby]

Hi Charlie and Lucy,
At first, thought I might see you in Chilliwack since my 17B will be ready 10/14. Hopefully some day on the road.
Congratulations on your purchase and also on your earlier completion date. This is my first trailer as well and cannot tell you how helpful those on this Forum have been. I feel like I've earned a Bachelors Degree in RV'ing.

[Vermilye]

Welcome to the forum & the Escape family from another easterner.

[kstock11]

Welcome from another who started our knowing nothing and ended up ordering and enjoying towing our first trailer through an exciting 10 week journey home from the factory! Due to all I was able to learn here, there were hardly any things that we needed to pick up after we got our Escape. (Not that we haven't bought things since - we are RV'ers now)

[soultrek]

Originally Posted by Charlie & Lucy

Hi soultrek,
Thanks for responding! We live right near Colby Sawyer and ski at Mt Sunapee! We are planning on heading cross country in late August and when we plan our route will get in touch with you to get your take on scenic areas!
Thanks.
Charlie & Lucy

Your new completion date opens up northern tier camping options that otherwise might have been iffy on your return. So many great options depending on your route desires; I'll be happy to help where I can - and no doubt others will also.

[Charlie & Lucy]

Hi Kevin & Barbara,
Thanks for the welcome!
It's nice to know that there are others who have undertaken this whole adventure knowing nothing to start with and came out on the other end with enjoyment! That's what we are hoping to do also. Enjoy our trip home from the factory leisurely, enjoy getting to know the "vagabond" life. And take our time learning all about our new Escape. We have been scouring the forums posts and learning from what others have written. Hopefully by the time we get our build specs in place we will have everything we will want or need.
Thanks again.
Charlie & Lucy

[Charlie & Lucy]

Hi EDarby,
I hope that some day we will meet on the road! We'll know each other by our Escapes!
I wonder if there are any groups of Escapees that meet from the Northeast? Although Cleveland isn't quite in the NE it is more so that Wyoming! Someday it would be nice to make one of the rallys in BC. Maybe for us it might be feasible for 2016?
Anyway... happy trails!
Charlie & Lucy

[EDarby]

Hey Charlie & Lucy,
I'm new to all this too so don't know if there are any Escape meetups in the northeast. In the meantime, if you're driving through Cleveland on your way back home from Chiliwack, let me know and I'll meet you and buy you coffee. Or beer. Or both.

Originally Posted by Charlie & Lucy

Hi EDarby,
I hope that some day we will meet on the road! We'll know each other by our Escapes!
I wonder if there are any groups of Escapees that meet from the Northeast? Although Cleveland isn't quite in the NE it is more so that Wyoming! Someday it would be nice to make one of the rallys in BC. Maybe for us it might be feasible for 2016?
Anyway... happy trails!
Charlie & Lucy

[oldclimber]

Hi Charlie and Lucy,

Sorry to inject our Newbie intro. on your thread But welcome to you and we share in your excitement! All the best and happy travels~

Peace,
Gae and Ike

[Vermilye]

There was the First Annual Eastern Escape Rally held in September, 2014. Here is a link to some photos.

Here is a link to the discussions of the 2nd.

[float5]

Hi, Charlie and Lucy,

Welcome to the Escape community. It is always exciting to get a trailer. You can only figure out so much before you camp but fortunately you can add most things later.